Teaching Cursive in a Digital World | Connecting Point | Jan. 8, 2019

>>DURING NOVEMBER’S MID-TERM
ELECTION, THOUSANDS MAIL INFORM BALLOTS IN FLORIDA WERE THROWN
OUT BECAUSE SIGNATURES DIDN’T MATCH THE ONES ON FILE. AS CONNECTING POINT’S STEPHANIE
LEYDON REPORTS, IT’S THE RELEVANCE OF HANDWRITING AT A
TIME WHEN SCHOOLS ARE QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF
TEACHING IT.>>YOU’RE GOING TO START AT THE
TOP.>>AT ST. COLUMN SCHOOL IN
BRIGHTON –>>AND SWING DOWN TO THE BOTTOM
LINE –>>– BACK UP TO THE TOP LINE
AND BENEATH WITH A NICE LITTLE KURLIQ.>>HOLLY MARTIN’S THIRD GRADERS
ARE GROWING UP WHERE MOST TAP OUT THOUGHTS ON A CEOBOARD. BUT WITH PRACTICE COMES IF NOT
PERFECTION, AT LEAST AN APPRECIATION FOR FORMING THESE
LETTERS.>>IF YOU WERE WRITING, LIKE, A
BOOK AND YOU WANTED TO USE CURSIVE, IT WOULD LOOK MORE
FANCY. IT’S A CREATIVE OUT HEALTHY ANDM
WRITING LETTERS TO SIGNING THEIR NAME. AND AS WE SAW DURING THE FLORIDA
RECOUNT, VOTERS WITH SLOPPY SIGNATURES PAID A PRICE AND
THEIR BALLOTS WERE THROWN OUT.>>IS THIS AN INDICATION THAT
PEOPLE NEED TRAINING IN CURSIVE?>>I WOULD SAY, I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW TO SIGN YOUR OWN NAME AND EVEN STUDENTS
IN MY CLASS NEED TO MOW HOW O WRITE THEIR NAME IN A SIGNATURE
AND USE THAT AS PART OF YOUR IDENTITY.>>THIS HAS BEEN A HALLMARK OF
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS LIKE THIS ONE BUT UNTIL 20 YEARS AGO, IT WAS
STANDARD PRACTICE IN MASSACHUSETTS’ PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BUT GIVEN THE DEMANDS OF A
21st CENTURY EDUCATION, SCHOOLS HAVE CUT BACK, IF NOT
COMPLETELY CUT OUT CURSIVE.>>WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING
AGAINST THE TIDE.>>HEAD OF SCHOOL SAYS CURSIVE
WRITING GETS KIDS TO SLOW DOWN.>>FIRST, I MAKE A LINE.>>MAYBE EVEN THINK MORE.>>AND THEN I COME AROUND THE
OTHER WAY.>>WE STILL THINK IT’S AN
IMPORTANT THING TO TRY TO DO, UNDERSTANDING THE TIDE IS
WASHING OVER THE WALL.>>DO YOU THINK THERE IS A TIME
CANCEL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WILL NO LONGER
TEACH CURSIVE?>>I THINK THAT TIME IS COMING
SOON.>>THERE AREN’T ENOUGH HOURS IN
THE DAY, HE SAYS, TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING KID NEED TO LEARN. IN THE AGE OF COMPUTERS, EVEN
HERE CURSIVE CAN’T COMPETE.>>WE’LL START ON THE BOTTOM
LINE.>>THE WRITING FOR HANDWRITING
PLAYING ON THE WALL.>>GIVE IT A LITTLE HOOK AND OH,
THAT’S NICE! AND THAT’S A HARD LETTER, GOOD
JOB!